I can not give blood.
I have tried to, but nobody wants it. When my unit returned from deployment to Saudi Arabia we received a debriefing that covered many topics. One of those topics was blood donation. I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to donate blood for five years. That was almost ten years ago now.
I work on a university campus and the blood wagon rolls through every couple of months to accept donations. Not to long ago I decided I would donate. I’m AB+ and my blood had always been welcome. I figured it had been a bunch of years since I had been overseas and I could donate again. I was wrong.
I did not lie about it. I can understand the temptation, as some people want to donate and don’t believe the rules are important, valid, or fair. On the other hand, I believe in caution on the fair side of paranoia. Much like creditors and insurance companies the medical community must take into consideration certain precautions that may alienate some. The difference is that in this instance, money is not at risk, lives are.